The world disappeared into white.
My skin burned. My bones vibrated. It felt like every part of my soul was being peeled apart layer by layer. Fate's divine beam was not simple energy—it was the will of the heavens itself trying to erase me from existence again.
But I did not die.
I refused to die.
The moment the divine energy struck, the Truth-Seeking System reacted on its own.
A cold whisper echoed in my mind.
[Micro-Reversal Impossible. Timeline Anchor Locked][Emergency Protocol: Truth Veil Activation][Warning: Severe cost will be taken]
I felt something wrench out of my soul—something important—but I had no time to understand it.
The next instant, the light shattered.
Not faded.Not dimmed.Shattered.
Like reality itself cracked under pressure.
The beam scattered into dust and dissolved into the air.
I gasped for breath, falling to one knee. Sweat soaked my clothes. My vision swam.
But I was alive.
I lifted my head slowly.
The giant divine eye in the heavens trembled. Not raging.
Fearing.
It spoke once more, the voice shaking the air.
"You… should not exist."
I stood up. My legs trembled, but I forced them steady.
"I returned," I said quietly, "and that is your mistake."
Lightning crackled around the divine eye. Clouds churned. The pressure grew heavier.
Then—
The eye vanished.
The clouds evaporated.
The world fell completely silent.
My breathing slowed. My heartbeat steadied. I knew what had just happened.
The heavens had tried to kill me, but something blocked it.
The System.
But at what cost?
I opened my palm and felt a strange emptiness inside my soul. Like something had been chipped away.
I whispered, "What did you take from me?"
The system did not answer.
Of course.
I wiped the blood off my face and looked around.
The entire sect was unconscious. Dozens of disciples lay on the ground. Even the strongest elders were collapsed, unmoving.
No one but me had witnessed what happened.
Good.
If the sect discovered the truth, they would panic. And panic would only feed Fate.
I took one step, then another, ignoring the throbbing pain in my ribs.
I had only 48 hours before the massacre.
Now only 46.
Time was slipping.
I turned toward the inner mountain.
I needed answers.
I needed information.
I needed to know who ordered my assassination before the massacre even began.
Only one place could provide clues this early:
The Hall of Forbidden Records.
It was guarded, sealed, and layered with formations that could kill an ordinary disciple instantly.
But in my past life, I had spent ten years studying its secrets.
Now, I simply had to survive entering it with a child's body.
I walked silently through the knocked-out disciples, heading toward the central stone path.
But halfway there, a weak voice called out behind me.
"Z… Zhen…"
Jin Rouya.
She knelt on the ground, clutching her head, eyes full of fear and confusion.
She was still conscious.
I frowned. "You shouldn't be awake."
She stared at me. "Something fell from the sky… a pressure… I thought I would die…"
She looked straight into my eyes.
"But you didn't fall. Not even once."
Sharp girl.
Too sharp.
She tried to stand but her legs trembled. I sighed and pulled her up.
Her fingers clung to my sleeve. "Zhen, what is happening?"
"It's nothing you can stop," I said. "So don't try."
She bit her lip. "You're hiding something. You're… different."
Yes.Different like a corpse risen from the past.
"We don't have time for this," I said. "Go back."
"No."
I turned.
She was shaking, terrified, but her voice did not waver.
"You saved me earlier. Let me follow you."
In my past life, she died for me without hesitation.
This time, I would not let her die so easily.
"No," I said.
She reached out and grabbed my hand.
"Weak or not, you're still human. You can't fight everything alone."
Her eyes were full of sincerity.
I pulled my hand away.
"I'm not doing this alone because I'm strong," I said quietly. "I'm doing it alone because I must."
She flinched.
I walked past her.
She did not follow.
Good.
I headed deeper into the sect.
Toward answers.
Toward truth.
Toward death, if needed.
The path to the Hall of Forbidden Records was quiet. Too quiet. It was a place few dared to visit.
Ancient stone walls rose high above me. Torches flickered faintly along the path. Strange symbols were carved into the stone—markings that pulsed softly when touched by moonlight.
As I approached the hall, I felt the temperature drop.
A thin mist covered the ground.
It was not natural.
It never was.
The Hall of Forbidden Records was protected by a guardian spirit, bound centuries ago by the founders of the sect.
A voice echoed from within.
"Who approaches forbidden ground?"
Deep. Hollow. Neither man nor ghost.
I stepped forward. "Lián Zhen."
Silence.
Then a whisper.
"You should not be here."
I took another step.
"I didn't ask for permission."
The ground trembled.
A giant shape materialized from the mist—an ancient spirit in the form of a massive stone wolf. Its eyes glowed faint blue, watching me carefully.
"You have no cultivation. You have no right to enter."
"I know," I said.
"Then leave."
"No."
The spirit growled, shaking the earth.
"Why do you risk death, mortal boy?"
"Because I have already died once."
The spirit paused.
Something in those words unsettled it.
I continued walking until I stood directly in front of it.
"I need to enter. That hall holds records hidden from the sect. Answers buried by Yue Shuhai. Secrets of Fate."
The spirit's eyes widened slightly.
"You speak names you should not know."
"I know many things," I said. "More than this timeline should allow."
The spirit lowered its head, staring into me.
"You carry a burden that does not belong to this age."
"Open the hall."
The spirit hesitated.
Then spoke in a low voice.
"If I let you pass, your destiny will change. You will no longer be able to walk the same path."
I smiled faintly.
"That path killed me."
Silence.
Then the giant stone wolf slowly stepped aside.
"The hall is yours to enter. But choose wisely. Knowledge demands a price."
I already knew.
Every truth had a cost.
I entered the Hall of Forbidden Records.
Ancient scrolls lined the walls. Dust covered every surface. Dim lanterns flickered, casting long shadows that danced like ghosts.
This was where the sect stored things too dangerous for normal disciples.
And I needed one thing:
The Hidden Fate Ledger.
It was a scroll that recorded small fluctuations in fate-lines around the sect—movements, intentions, emotional shifts. A perfect tool for someone planning betrayal.
I moved quickly, scanning shelves, ignoring the weight of old memories pressing onto me.
In my past life, I entered this hall much later. By then, many records were already destroyed.
This time, they were untouched.
After a few minutes, I found it.
A simple scroll tied with black string.
I unrolled it.
Ink shimmered faintly under the lantern light.
My heartbeat slowed.
There it was.
A mark of shifting fate—recorded just one hour before my assassination attempt.
Target:
Lián Zhen.
Instigator:
Name hidden by higher-order Fate interference.
My jaw clenched.
But below it—
A second note.
Collaborator confirmed:
Yue Shuhai.
And beside his name, a symbol.
A red inverted circle.
My eyes narrowed.
I had seen this before.
It was the symbol of the Crimson Fate Temple.
The group responsible for erasing regressors, truth-seekers, and anyone who opposed Fate.
I stared at the scroll for a long time.
So the Azure Verdant Sect massacre…
Was not just an internal betrayal.
It was part of something bigger.
Something deeper.
Something ancient.
I rolled up the scroll and hid it inside my robes.
A quiet whisper escaped my lips.
"So that's how it is…"
Outside, the wind shifted.
A presence approached. Someone was coming down the path toward the forbidden hall.
Not a disciple.
Not an elder.
Someone more dangerous.
I exhaled slowly.
The night was only beginning.
And tomorrow…The massacre would start.
I turned toward the entrance.
"Come then," I muttered. "Show me who dares to hide behind heaven's lies."
And I stepped into the shadows.